Archives

Internet Ratings Firm ComScore Acquires Q2 Brand Intelligence

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 9, 2004 - 9:12am.
Reston, Va. -- ComScore networks, a provider of Internet audience measurement services, said on Monday that it has acquired Seattle-based Q2 Brand Intelligence, a provider of custom survey research and consulting to large companies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. ComScore said that it plans to integrate Q2 into its survey research division, with the combined business unit operating under the name comScoreQ2. Larry Denaro, the founder and CEO of Q2, will become president of comScoreQ2, with all of the company's other executives and research professionals also making the move. ComScore will continue to operate Q2's offices in Seattle and Boston. Launched in 1999, Q2 uses a variety of research and modeling approaches to help clients identify specific business strategies that generate the greatest revenue with the highest probability of success. Q2's clients include Borders Books, Sun Microsystems and Ticketmaster.
tags: Internet | Ratings | comScore | Q2 Brand | Intelligence |

Google to Issue $300 Million in Stock to Settle Yahoo Patent Dispute

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 9, 2004 - 3:24am.
Mountain View, Calif. -- Removing a possible legal hurdle to its upcoming initial public offering (IPO), search engine giant Google said on Monday that it will pay Yahoo about $300 million in stock to settle patent disputes between the rival search companies. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Google said that it will issue Yahoo 2.7 million shares of its stock, which will be worth anywhere from $291 million to $364 million, depending on Google's IPO pricing. In return, Google will receive a license for a patent held by Yahoo subsidiary Overture. In a related move, Google has raised the number of shares in its IPO from 24.6 million to 25.7 million because Yahoo now plans to sell more than 1 million more than previously thought. Yahoo already owned about 5.5 million shares of Google through a prior investment.
tags: Google | Stock | Settle | Yahoo Patent |

Loudeye Gets Nokia Investment to Develop Wireless Digital Music Platform

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 9, 2004 - 3:23am.
Seattle -- Loudeye, a provider of streaming song samples and other digital media services, announced on Monday an agreement with cell phone maker Nokia to develop an advanced wireless digital music platform. The multi-year agreement includes a "multi-million dollar commitment" to Loudeye for development fees. The companies said that additional details of the collaboration and service platform, such as an expected release date, will be announced later.
tags: Wireless | Loudeye | Nokia | Digital Music |

Report: Paid Search Spending to Triple by 2009; Return On Investment Falling

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 9, 2004 - 3:21am.
New York -- Spending on search engine marketing will nearly triple by 2009, growing by 189% from $1.9 billion in 2003 to $5.5 billion in 2009, according to a report from market research firm JupiterResearch. The firm also notes that the average "click" price for pay-per-click paid search will grow by 62%, from $0.29 in 2003 to $0.47 in 2009. However, as prices rise, Jupiter says that return-on-investment (ROI) from search marketing has started to fall. "Due to rising prices, many of the search marketers that used to get a great return on their investment are now only getting a good one," said JupiterResearch associate analyst Nate Elliott. "As ROI continues to fall, marketers will need to do a better job measuring and optimizing their search campaigns." The firm cited an executive survey that found over half of marketers use unsophisticated bid strategies, and only one-third consider historical effectiveness data or the cost of goods sold when bidding for paid listings.
tags: Reports | Triple | Paid Search | Investment Falling |

TiVo Launches Rebate Offer and Ad Campaign, Expands Retail Presence

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 9, 2004 - 3:21am.
Alviso, Calif. -- TiVo, a provider of digital video recorder services, on Monday launched a rebate offer and promotional campaign for a newly designed TiVo set-top box. The new 40-hour model will sell for $99 after a $100 rebate, which will be promoted in a national advertising campaign. TiVo's other recorders will also be eligible for rebates, with the 80-hour recorder now costing $199 and the 140-hour model priced at $299. The company also announced that it has expanded the retail partners from whom consumers may purchase its products, which will soon include Sam's Club, CompUSA, Target.com, Fry's Electronics and Costco; existing retail partners include Best Buy, Circuit City and Good Guys. TiVo also launched a customer rewards program for those who refer friends and family to purchase a TiVo, which will award points redeemable for TiVo products and services, as well as an Apple iPod, Nikon digital camera or Bose headphones.
tags: TiVo | Campaign | Rebate Offer | Retail Presence |

BSA Warns of Generation of Unabashed Pirates in the U.K.

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 9, 2004 - 3:18am.
London -- A new survey conducted on behalf of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) finds that about 44% of 18- to 29-year-olds in the U.K. admits to owning pirated intellectual property. Nearly a third of all the 30- to 50-year-olds surveyed also admitted to owning pirated material. The BSA said the survey indicated the emergence of a new "pirate generation" in the U.K. that had few ethical qualms about buying pirate software, CDs and DVDs. Most of the 2,000 people surveyed by pollsters YouGov did say that they felt there was little or no stigma attached to pirated goods. BSA spokesman Mike Newton described the survey as "grim reading" and singled out the role of the Internet. "There is a growing generation that lacks the respect for intellectual property on which manufacturers of things like music rely," he said. "The Internet is clearly a major route for pirate traffic."
tags: BSA | U.K. | Generation | Unabashed Pirates |